


Taken with Tea

by babyblueglasses



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cute, Don't copy to another site, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, One Shot, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 13:05:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17867801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyblueglasses/pseuds/babyblueglasses
Summary: Tony can't decide if the charming, gorgeous teashop owner is into him or not.Loki's got a secret he's been keeping.





	Taken with Tea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thenizu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenizu/gifts).



It was desperation that brought Tony to the shop.

It had to be for Tony to open the door to _The Tea Time Tastery_. Tony rolled his eyes at the pretentious name, promising himself that he would just be in and out.

Bruce had sworn that the place sold the best tea blends on earth, and Tony needed something new to keep him awake because coffee wasn’t cutting it anymore and he had a deadline to meet.

A set of intricate bells jingled as Tony pushed open a glass door surrounded by black cast iron with the shop name hand painted in gold on the glass. Tony blinked. It was sunny inside. 

In fact, he noted as he carefully navigated around a group of school girls crowded around a display of cute animal tea infusers, there were a number of unexpected skylights in the room.

And plants. So many plants. 

Tony ignored the hanging planters. He headed for the tall pine shelves that lined the walls, vines of ivy curling above them. Tony stared at the tea tins. 

He had no idea what he was doing.

They all had unusual names like “Saturday Afternoon in Paris” or “First Love”. Tony had no idea what the hell those were supposed to taste like. He just knew that none of them were called “Keeps You Awake Until You Can See Into the 5th Dimension”. 

And this place was busy. Various groups of people wove in and out between the shorter, light colored wood displays on the floor. “Excuse me,” a woman said, reaching past Tony to take a tin from the shelf he stood in front of.

Tony huffed. If he wanted to get in and out of the shop, he was going to need some help.

Tony turned, searching for who that would be. At first, he saw no one. There was a bar at the back of the room with tall chairs lined up beside it and a single cash register. Tony was wondering just where the employees were when he saw a man push aside a curtain behind the bar and walk to the register with a black tea tin in his hands. 

Tony worked his way around the clusters of people, but he was still third in line to the register. Tony tried not let his impatience be too obvious as he bounced on his toes. Every second spent here was a second he wasn’t inventing in the lab. He would’ve just ordered online if the place had offered it.

Instead, Tony watched the cashier. He was smiling as he pulled open the tea tin, allowing the customer to breathe in the scent. “I’ve been looking forward to picking this up all week,” the elderly man told the cashier. 

“I’m so glad we got a fresh shipment of cinnamon in for you, Mr. Parker.” Tony held his breath for a moment. He hated when people held up the line by making chit chat. 

But the cashier just smiled back at the customer, the skin around his eyes crinkling at he did. A bird skull hung from one ear, and on the other ear a black chain connected a piercing to a ring on his cartilage. His black hair was half down, the rest pulled back. He had unsettlingly green eyes that the mossy green velvet vest he was wearing only exaggerated. 

As the old man finally left and the person in front of Tony went, Tony thought how out of place the guy looked here. The shop was bright and cheerful. This guy was wearing black pants and a black and white striped cotton shirt under the vest thing, and a black ring on his middle finger along with black nail polish. 

Maybe Hot Topic didn’t have any openings.

Tony amused himself, debating whether the man was too hipster to qualify for working at Hot Topic. “Can I help you?” 

Tony hadn’t been expecting the English accent. “Yeah,” Tony said. “I need something that’s going to keep me awake for a week straight. Or whatever you’ve got that comes closest to that.” 

The man’s unnerving green eyes stayed on him for a moment, trained and assessing, it seemed. “I’ll see what I can do.” He turned and walked down the length of the bar, and Tony wasn’t sure if he was being helped or not anymore as the man scooped tea leaves from several tins and mixed them together. 

He set a plain black tin down in front of Tony. “Have you brewed tea before?”

“It’s that obvious, huh?” Tony asked. The man didn’t seem to react. “Uh, yeah,” he said, but the man was already writing something on the back of the tin with a sharpie. 

It was the instructions for the tea, Tony noticed as the man rotated the tin around on the counter for Tony to see. Tony dug out his wallet. “Be careful not to scorch it,” the man advised. His voice was absolutely melodious in that accent. It was ridiculous how gorgeous he sounded. “The tea won’t be as effective as you’d like then.”

“So it’ll only keep me awake for four days instead of seven if I scorch it?”

“We don’t sell anything that powerful, sir.” The man keyed something in on the register. “This should help you stay awake, but only for a reasonable amount of time.” 

Did this guy not pick up on jokes or what? Whatever. Tony paid for his tea and booked it out of there, his mind already working through formulas.

 

.・。.・゜✫ ☕ ✫・゜・。.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows inside of Loki’s shop. He was reordering tea tins on the shelves, sorting them back to their proper spots after a day of customers rifling through them. His last customer had been thirty minutes ago, and he was five minutes away from flipping the signboard to “closed” when the bells on the door jingled.

Surprise snapped through Loki when he glanced up to see the rude customer from several days before rushing in. 

It did seem fitting to see him scurrying in last minute. 

The brunette stopped and scanned the room, squinting, his hair sticking out at odd angles. Loki didn’t object to the black tank top he wore that showed off arms, however, aside from their being smeared with something that looked like oil or grease. When the man spotted Loki, he immediately made a beeline. Loki was about to point out it was closing time when the man came around the shelf. Then, suddenly, Loki saw that the black fabric wasn’t a tank top, but a crop top. 

A crop top over abs that were subtly sculpted and had enough softness that there was a gentle curve where they disappeared below the man’s oil-stained jeans. “Look. I don’t know what you put in that tea the other day, but it works like an absolute charm and now I’m out. Can I order it in bulk?” 

“Hello to you too,” Loki replied, trying not to imagine his fingers running through the fine line of hair that ran down the man’s navel and vanished below his jeans. 

“Hi. So, uh, can I order a bunch of that stuff? Or is it something that you only get in sometimes, or I saw you blend it, so you can give me a large canister, right?” 

Loki swallowed. He knew he was being foolish, and he also knew that he should be annoyed. This man had irritated him only days before, but was it so bad to think of him as some temporary eye candy? It couldn’t hurt to indulge, could it? “Actually,” Loki said, his mind starting to spark out of its fog, “you can, but I think there are a few other blends that you’d like. Would you care to sample some?” 

The man paused, considering. Loki wondered what the man could’ve been doing to come in dressed the way he was. Working in a hot garage? Loki really did want to run his fingers down the man’s stomach. And arms. Loki was certain that the man was about to say no when he nodded his head. “Sure.” 

Loki immediately turned to back towards the bar, hiding his happy smirk. “This way.” 

The hinges squeaked as Loki lifted the board to go back behind the counter. He began blending several teas. 

Today he’d chosen a more casual appearance, opting for a black beanie and a long, tunic-like shirt with thin black and white stripes. The sleeves came halfway down his hands. He’d left his hair down. He wore a hematite ring on a chain around his neck. It helped him have a sense of protection and calm. Loki reminded himself of that as he brewed the first tea for the man. 

“So,” the man said, squeaking on the bar stool like he couldn’t decide where to let it rest on the floor. “What are you making?” 

Loki’s back was to the man as he poured a steaming tea kettle into a white mug with a gold rim. “An herbal blend.” Loki had an innate sense for the types of teas that a person would like, and he didn’t believe for a second that the man would only enjoy the caffeinated trip he’d sought out. “It will compliment the first blend I made you.” 

“You must get a lot of people asking for that,” the brunette said. 

Loki shook his head slightly.

“Then you have a good memory,” the man said. 

Loki shrugged. “I have an easy time remembering the teas I create for people. Here,” he said, setting the cup down in front of the man. 

The man grabbed the teacup with the same desperation as a deprived coffee drinker. Something in his movements as he drank it reminded Loki of whiskey. “It’s good,” the man said, but he sounded reluctant. “Though it’s—you put something floral in there?” 

Loki nodded. “That’s non-caffeinated. It will help you sleep.” 

The man pushed the cup towards him. “That is the opposite of my problem, bud.” His sharp brown eyes settled on Loki then, assessing him. Loki wasn’t flustered. He was too busy appreciating the way the setting sun highlighted the ends of the man’s hair and settled on his shoulders. There were flicks of gray through the man’s hair, most noticeably around his temples. It offset the playfulness the man seemed to have with a dignified sense instead. 

Loki spoke with mild interest as he grabbed the next tea for the man to try, carefully setting a lemon wedge on the saucer. “Why are you so set on staying awake?” 

“I’m working on a project. I’m a self-employed engineer with a lot of deadlines. I develop software and mechanical designs, that kind of thing. Once I get going on an idea, I don’t like to stop.” 

“Sounds dangerous,” Loki replied, holding up the lemon wedge. The man’s face shifted to a cautious mix of curiosity and uncertainty. “Watch carefully.” 

Loki pushed the teacup a bit more forward so the man could see the brilliantly blue tea. He squeezed the lemon, its juice dripping slowly into the cup. The tea morphed into a spectacular shade of purple. 

“Okay,” the man said. “You got me. That _is_ pretty cool.” Loki smiled. The man seemed impressed in spite of himself. “But I do want like a massive order of that tea you made me last time because I’m going to need it.” 

Loki nodded, grabbing the largest empty canister they had and setting it on the counter. He grabbed a sharpie. “What is your name?” 

“Tony,” the man replied, pausing for a moment before repeating himself. “Tony Stark.” Loki just nodded, writing “Tony’s Blend” on the back on the tin and the same instructions as before. 

Loki began scooping in the different parts, stealing glances at Tony as he did. The man really was gorgeous. It wasn’t fair. “This is the largest size we carry. How many of these would you like, Tony?” 

Tony started to say something, then interrupted himself. “One’s good for now. And uh, do you have something that’s kind of mellow? Not for me, but a friend of mine. He recommended here, actually.” 

Loki nodded. That made sense for Tony to find the shop on a recommendation. His long hair fell over his shoulders as he set the lid back on the tin. “What is his name?” 

“Uh, Bruce? Bruce Banner.” 

Loki didn’t show his surprise. Of all of his regulars, he probably wouldn’t have pegged Banner as Tony’s connection. Banner seemed so different from Tony. “Would you like to try his blend?” Loki got a sharp, toothy grin. “ I will warn you, it is intended to make you sleep.” 

“Wait. He has his own custom blend?” Loki nodded. “Yeah, I want to try it,” Tony said, taking up the challenge. “I’ll just try a sip.” 

Loki set Tony’s blend on the counter as he worked on brewing Banner’s favorite tea.

“What’s your name?” 

“Loki.” 

The man hummed. “How’d you get into brewing tea, Loki?” 

Loki stilled. Strangely, he hadn’t been asked that question in a long, long time. Usually people just demanded the tea that they wanted and took for granted that he’d make it. 

Sort of like the man, no, Tony, in front of him had done. Loki glanced up at Tony, not moving his hand from the small metal scoop he had in a tin. “Is it something personal?” Tony asked. He seemed to process that a moment later. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me. It’s just your face, you—don’t want to talk about it. My bad.” 

“No,” Loki said, standing back up straight. He dumped the valerian into the blend. “It’s just—you would think it was a silly reason.” 

“Well now you _have_ to tell me,” Tony said, setting both elbows on the counter. Loki wasn’t sure why, but it was endearing. Tony smiled at him, raising his eyebrows. 

Loki set the tea aside to steep and turned back to Tony. “I discovered an interest in tea when I was in high school.” 

Tony nodded his head. “Okay. I’m not sure where this is going, but a silly reason plus high school, my hopes are getting up there.” 

Loki grinned. He felt comfortable telling Tony, even though he thought that the man would think he was crazy. “I used tea to make a love spell.” 

Loki didn’t realize that he was holding his breath until Tony spoke. “And?” Loki glanced at him. “Did it work?” 

Loki smiled, broad and genuine this time. “No. I think you know that.” Seriously, that’d been the last question that Loki had expected from the man, and he found it quite charming.

“Okay, well, that led to tea because…?” 

“Blending it is—” Loki licked his lips. “It is what I suppose an artist feels while painting, or perhaps people feel when they’re doing yoga, it’s—” Loki huffed, unsure of what to say.

“—peaceful?” Tony tried. 

Loki nodded. “Meditative,” he added. “And I enjoy being able to give people blends that bring them joy.” 

Tony nodded. “That’s a really great story, actually.” 

Loki smiled again, realizing as he did that he needed to serve Banner’s tea. He turned around to grab a saucer from the counter and found Tony staring at him when he turned back around. He set the tea in front of Tony. “One sip,” Tony promised. 

Tony wrinkled his nose, discarding Banner’s tea and reaching for the color changing one instead. Tony practically chugged it down. “You didn’t tell me that Bruce drinks old gym socks,” he accused. 

“The valerian is a bit strong for some people,” Loki said. 

“The what?” 

“Valerian root,” Loki said. 

Tony blinked. “Ok. Don’t put any of that in mine ever please, but I’ll take some of that to give to him.” Loki simply put the blend together, finding himself thinking that Tony was a good friend as he did. “Loki, right?” 

Loki turned back. Tony was really staring at him this time. “I believe that’s what I said.” 

Tony half-smiled. “Just checking.” Loki couldn’t decide if the man was alluring or if he was just enjoying checking him out. His shoulder muscles looked damn fine under the narrow straps of the crop top. “I should really be getting back to my lab,” Tony said, starting to stand. “I kind of booked it over here when I realized I was out of tea.” 

“Very well.” Loki set Tony’s teas down beside the register. As Tony got up to walk over and pay, Loki stole another glance of the man’s stomach, staring perhaps a bit too appreciatively. “Thank you for coming in.” 

“Thanks for the samples,” Tony said, digging down into his back pocket for his wallet. “I’ll see you next time I need tea.” He smiled, but it seemed polite. 

When Tony left, Loki walked him to the door, enjoying the view of the man’s ass through the window as he walked away. Loki flipped the signboard to “closed” and locked the door, turning back and sauntering through the shelves to the tea cups that Tony had drunk from. 

Loki had lied to Tony, but he’d given him more of the truth than he was accustomed to telling.

He selected the coloring changing tea. Loki snapped open the tea infuser spoon and leaned over the counter, tilting and rotating the cup in his own fashion until a pattern formed in the loose tea leaves. 

Loki stared at the scattering of tea leaves on the bottom, as if that could change anything. They said what they said. He sighed, pushing himself up and away from the counter and ignoring the unhappy twang in his heart. 

He knew better. Loki gave the cup one more morose examination before accepting the fortune written in the tea leaves and moving to rinse it out in the sink. 

 

Tony turned around when he was a little way down the street and looked back at the shop. 

He’d gotten mixed vibes from the guy. Tony’d caught Loki checking him out, and he’d only stayed for samples because he’d thought Loki was coming onto him. But then Loki had seemed relaxed like an old friend when he was talking about tea, and informal and distant at parts too. Tony couldn’t decide if Loki was into him or not.

He was interesting, though. Attractive enough that Tony enjoyed the thought of sleeping with him. Maybe Bruce would know something about the guy.

 

.・。.・゜✫ ☕ ✫・゜・。.

Two weeks passed before Tony returned to the shop. Bruce hadn’t been much help. All Bruce had known was that the guy was good at tea. Tony didn’t go inside the shop right away. 

Instead, he stood outside with his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet. 

He’d dressed up today. In a casual, not trying too hard kind of way. He had his favorite pair of jeans on and a band t-shirt, along with expensive sneakers and ridiculously expensive sunglasses. 

He hadn’t thought anything of visiting in his lab grunge last time. He felt foolish for coming back today, for being hopeful that the tea shop guy was into him. Tony stared through the glass at the plants in the windowsill. They all had cute little names written on tiny wooden sticks, like basil and stevia and mint. 

The shop had only been open for ten minutes, but already there were a couple of customers perusing the shelves inside. He’d kind of been hoping to be the only one in the store. Maybe he should try another time? He wasn’t even sure if Loki worked that day, although Loki was the only employee he’d seen at the store. 

Tony was still debating with himself when he spotted Loki inside the shop. 

He was holding a watering pail with a very long spout, his lips moving soundlessly as he watered one of the many plants along the wall. Today he wore a black sweater with his hair tied back in a messy bun and glasses. Chunky black glasses with thick lenses. Tony hated to admit it, but the whole hipster look was doing something for him. 

With that thought in mind, Tony stepped through the door. 

Loki didn’t look up from his plants, although now Tony could start to make out the mumbling coming from Loki’s lips.

“Hey,” Tony tried. 

Loki glanced up, blinking owlishly through his glasses for a moment. 

“I didn’t know if you’d be working today,” Tony said. 

“I’m always here,” Loki said. He cleared his throat, holding his hand over his mouth. 

“I’ve never seen anyone else,” Tony said. 

“Sometimes my brother works when I need him to.” Loki brushed his hand over his head as if trying to tuck his pulled back hair back behind his ear. “Did you need help with something?” 

“Yeah,” Tony said. “I’ve been using the same tea infuser for everything, so I was hoping to get a couple more. And my project’s done, so I was wondering if you had something a little less caffeinated?” 

Loki smiled at the last part in a way that made Tony feel warm. It was a gorgeous, almost daring smile. “I’m sure I can come up with something.” He nodded towards a shelf behind Tony. “If you want to look through our infusers, I’ll make up some sample teas for you as soon as I’m done with these plants.” 

“Thanks.” Tony decided to declare that a win, even though he was still struggling to get a read on Loki. He went to the shelf that Loki had directed him to. 

There were tea infusing spoons in a dozen different colors, with some of them shaped like things like hearts and stars. He recognized the silicone animal ones from his first day in the shop. He picked out a few metal spoon ones and a t-rex just for fun, then glanced back. 

Loki was still watering plants, inspecting a leaf in a vine of ivy with one hand as he held the pail in the other. He leaned his weight into one hip as he stood, his lithe and tall figure moving gracefully along the plants. 

Tony wandered over to the bar from before. He heard Loki answer a customer’s question before the heavy wooden plank of the bar was lifted up and set down with a soft thud. 

“So,” Loki said, sounding slightly out of breath as he spoke the word. “What did you have in mind?” 

He held Tony’s gaze too perfectly. 

“Something with some kick to it, but not as much caffeine as the last blend. A kind of in-between.” 

Loki nodded, smoothing down the sides of his sweater before turning and walking to the far end of the bar to snap open one of the many tins that lined it. 

When Loki set Tony’s tea to steep, he was interrupted by a customer that needed him at the register. Loki smiled broadly at the customer, his laugh ringing out at something that was only mildly funny before he wished the customer a good day in a much thicker English accent than he’d had moments before. It was slightly bewildering.

Loki grabbed Tony’s teacup. One of his rings clinked against the ceramic as he set it down. “This has rooibos with blueberry. I think you’ll like it.” 

“I don’t know if I’m into sweet teas.” 

“Try it.” 

There was something demanding and slyly confident in Loki’s gaze that hadn’t been there moments before. Tony liked it. “Alright.” He held eye contact with Loki as he took a sip. “Alright. You’re right again.” 

Loki smirked. “I tend to be.” 

“Don’t get cocky,” Tony warned him, encouraged by how lighthearted it felt. 

Loki shrugged. “I have every right to be.” 

Tony laughed at that, shaking his head and taking another sip. As he set the cup down, he was fairly certain that he saw Loki checking him out. “So,” Tony said. “I was wondering how exactly one goes about making a love potion out of a tea?” He grinned as charmingly as he could. “ _If_ somebody were going to make one, I mean.” 

Loki’s eyes widened like he’d forgotten telling Tony about that before he looked away and back again, like he was above it. “Don’t tell me you came in here to ask me to make you one.” 

Tony had his flirtatious next line on the tip of his tongue, ready to be delivered. _Actually, I was going to ask if you’d given me one, because I’d like to ask you out. If you’re free today?_ He didn’t get the chance, however.

“Don’t get yourself into trouble,” Loki warned him. 

Tony sensed that Loki was keyed up, but he still put his elbows on the bar and leaned forward, dark brown eyes warm and seductive. “What if I want to get into trouble?” 

Loki huffed out a breath, leaning away from the counter. He rolled his eyes incredulously. “Then you’d better enjoy getting bitten in the ass because that’s what’ll happen.” 

Tony leaned his arm along the back of his chair, slouching against it with ease. “Sounds kinky,” he quipped. 

Loki gave him an unimpressed stare before stepping away to help someone in the middle of the shop. 

Tony sighed. He felt like he’d fucked that up and taken several steps backwards. Maybe he needed to ditch the charming thing and just be direct with Loki. 

Hell, the guy could be married. Tony had no idea about Loki’s life. It was a while before Loki returned to the bar counter, and when he did it was to brew a sample tea for the customer he’d been speaking to. 

Loki chatted with that customer for a bit before walking down to Tony’s end of the bar. He pushed his glasses back up his nose with his finger. He seemed unsure of what to say to Tony. “So,” Tony tried. “It’s busy in here today. I thought you’d be slow on a weekday.” 

Loki crossed his arms, frowning out across the shop. “I’m lucky if I get to eat lunch most days,” he said with a note of bitterness. A customer came up to the counter just then, asking for Loki to show him where the powdered tea mixes were. 

Tony pursed his lips, thinking. This wasn’t a good time to talk to Loki, and he felt like he was imposing since Loki obviously had his hands full. When Loki returned to the bar, Tony was waiting for him at the register. “You won me over with that tea.” 

Loki smiled in that familiar, proud way before ringing Tony’s tea tin up. Tony paid and then held the tea tin in his hands, trying to bolster up a courage that wasn’t there. He’d lost his rhythm. “Thanks, Loki.” 

Loki stared at him a moment too long for it to be comfortable, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking. “Of course, Tony.” 

Tony just nodded then as there was a line behind him and left.

 

Loki watched as the door swung shut behind Tony, the enchanted bells on it singing. 

He liked the man, but he didn’t like being made fun of. Or maybe Tony wanted a love spell to use on someone else? That was an unhappy thought, but Loki figured with his luck that it would be the case. He tried to write off the eccentric man and return to working. 

He’d meant what he’d said to Tony. His love spell had bitten him in the ass, and he was still paying for it, all these years later. 

 

.・。.・゜✫ ☕ ✫・゜・。.

A few days later, Tony came to the shop right at noon, carrying a paper bag. Tony walked up to the bar where Loki was working. 

The bag crinkled as Tony leaned against the counter, smiling. Loki glanced up from where he was wiping down the bar. Tony held up the bag.

“I brought lunch!” 

Loki blinked. He was wearing those oversized, chunky glasses again that made him adorable in Tony’s eyes. 

“It’s sushi,” Tony said, drawing it from the restaurant bag and setting the lacquered box on the countertop. “I know you said you never get a chance for lunch, so I thought I’d bring lunch to you.” 

Loki pressed his lips together for a moment, casting an uncomfortable glance towards the box. “I’m vegetarian.” 

“Oh.” 

Now Tony felt like an ass. 

Loki cocked his head slightly to the side. “Why—why are you bringing me lunch?” He asked, curious. 

Tony blushed. 

Like, ridiculously, stupidly blushed bright red and the realization made him blush even harder.

“Okay, look,” Tony said. From his faux pas he obviously didn’t know Loki that well, and he couldn’t just keep turning up at the guy’s shop. “I—” Why was this part never easy? “Have a crush on you. And I think I messed up last time, so I wanted to say sorry, and would you like to go out to lunch with me? Somewhere else, but as a date?” 

Tony’s face was burning when he looked up from the counter. 

Loki was standing in place, not moving, not even breathing from the look of it. His eyes were wide. 

“I swear I didn’t put anything in your tea.” 

“What?!” 

“If you’re doing this because you think I enchanted your tea with a love spell—”

“—What? No! I know you were just telling a story. I don’t seriously think you’d do that—do you think I’d think you’d do that?” 

Loki licked his lips, his horrified expression giving way to a tight smile that seemed more self-deprecating than anything else. “No, I—” He grabbed a loose lock of hair, twisting it in his fingers for a moment before abruptly letting go and standing tall as though someone had chastised him. “I—” Loki grabbed the ring on his necklace and took a deep breath. “I would like that. Lunch, that is.” 

“Really?” 

Loki glanced back at him, then a small but genuine smile reappeared on his lips. “Yes.” 

“Oh,” Tony said, beaming. “Great. Awesome. Okay.” 

“I’ll flip the signboard before anyone else comes in,” Loki said, rushing out from behind the counter with an urgency that was almost funny. When he spun back around, there was a brightness in him that fit in perfectly with the sunny shop around him instead of the way he usually contrasted it. 

Tony felt a little dizzy and slightly giddy as he took a step away from the bar. He’d been so focused on Loki that he hadn’t noticed the place was empty. “Where would you like to go for lunch?” 

“There’s a vegan place a few blocks down from here. I get carry out from them all the time.” 

It wasn’t Tony’s usual scene, but he figured what the hell. The sushi laid forgotten on the counter as he went to join Loki at the door. 

 

Tony wasn’t wrong. The vegan place was way unlike what he was used to, but it was warm and inviting and fun. The waiter joked with them and the whole place felt cozy with a lot of hidden booths and tables. Plants and vines hung from the brown walls, along with artwork in crooked frames and murals of brightly colored patterns. 

Tony smiled at the man across from him, noting how he was twisting his hair again. 

 

Loki swallowed. His heart was going a mile a minute, and he was petrified of screwing the whole thing up. He also recognized that he was screwing it up by just being quiet and awkward, but he was too nervous to overcome that. Tony cleared his throat. “So, um, you said you get take out from here a lot?” Loki nodded. “What’s uh—what’s a regular day at the shop like?” 

Loki licked his lips. He was clasping his hands together in his lap, and he hoped that Tony didn’t notice. “I get there around opening time and water the plants before it gets busy. Usually I spend the day blending teas and ringing up purchases, then I wash dishes and clean and tidy the shop before going home.” 

“And you do that all by yourself?” 

Loki shrugged. “I’m used to it.” 

“What’s your favorite part?” 

Loki glanced at him, unsure. 

“Of running the shop?” Tony prompted. “Is it the people, or the tea—”

Loki smiled, almost amused. “It’s not the people.” He glanced away. “I like some customers, but others can be—exasperating. I like that it’s my own place. I can run it how I like, and make tea however I want.” 

Tony nodded. Shit, Tony was gorgeous. Maybe, if Loki was extremely lucky, he’d figure out what it felt like to run his fingernails down Tony’s back before Tony dumped him.

“I’m impressed that you run the whole thing. That’s got to be exhausting.” Tony seemed sincere, and it was obvious that he didn’t envy Loki having that much responsibility. 

Loki shrugged again, his stiff shoulders straining with the motion. “During the holidays I goad my brother into helping me.” 

“What’s he do?” 

“Sales.” Loki combed his fingers back through his hair. “Do you have any siblings?” 

“Nope.” 

They held eye contact for a moment, and in that second Loki realized that Tony had to be feeling as awkward as he was, even if Tony was better at carrying the conversation. Loki shuffled through his thoughts, looking for something clever or interesting to say. The waiter arrived with their food. 

Tony took a huge bite. Inwardly, Loki was relieved. Tony didn’t seem to mind going outside his comfort zone here and hadn’t said a single snarky or rude thing about the food. Loki reached for the tea the waiter had brought him. 

“Is their tea as good as yours?” Tony teased. 

Loki smiled. “No,” he said honestly before taking a sip.

Tony chewed his burrito, obviously thinking hard about something. Loki hurried to take a bite of his pasta. 

“Earlier you warned me about making a love potion with my tea. Why?” 

Loki coughed. He hurried to take a sip of his tea, blinking away his tears. 

Tony leaned forward. “Are you alright?”

Loki could breathe again. “Fine,” he said, wiping his lips with a napkin. “I believe I told you that a love spell would bite you in the ass.” 

“And not in the fun way, right?” 

Loki rolled his eyes, but he had to admit that he was slightly charmed by Tony’s dorkiness. “That is correct.” Loki took a huge bite of his pasta. 

“Okay,” Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I have to admit that I’m dying with curiosity over here. You said that you made a love spell in high school and it didn’t work, but there’s obviously more to the story here.” 

Loki felt a faint burn on his cheeks. “It worked,” Loki mumbled, confessing. “Just—not for me.” He looked away, trying to sip his tea like they were moving on in the conversation. 

Tony raised an eyebrow at him. 

Why did he want to answer to this man? 

Just because he wanted to get into his pants and this was his only shot? 

No, Loki genuinely did like him. And want to get into his pants. Sighing, Loki reluctantly continued, unsure of why he was. “At the time, I had been nursing a crush on one of my brother’s friends, Fandral. He would hang out at our house after school everyday. I served him the tea, and myself the same tea, meaning for it to bring us together. But instead of him noticing me, the very next day he started dating my brother.” 

Loki huffed out an unhappy sigh. He’d never told anyone this story. Well, he’d told it once when he was drunk to a friend he didn’t even known anymore who’d been drunk as well and not cared. So essentially, he’d told no one. 

“And,” Loki said, resigned to it, “the spell backfired and cursed me.” 

“How?” 

It wasn’t the question that Loki was expecting to hear. He’d expected mockery, or amusement, or disdain, but not curiosity. He wasn’t sure how to handle it. Loki didn’t look up from the table. He might as well shoot himself in the foot a little more. “Tony, I am thirty-five and single. It’s not unreasonable to think I am,” Loki said quickly, as if saying it faster made it less painful.

Tony breathed out a laugh. “Are you serious?” Loki nudged his glasses, blinking. “You’re only thirty-five. I’m forty and single and I don’t feel bad about it.” Tony ruffled his own hair a little. “I certainly don’t think I’m _cursed_.” 

Loki didn’t speak. He wasn’t sure if Tony was making fun of him or trying to help him. 

“What would one cup of tea have to do with you being cursed anyway?” Tony set his chin on his hand, warm brown eyes resting their gaze on Loki. “It made you single for life because…?” 

Loki breathed in. “I messed with something I shouldn’t have. Thor and Fandral have broken up and gotten back together again for years, like the spell keeps bringing them back together. And mine—it’s—a curse. For what I did,” he said, mumbling at the end. “It back fired. Since then, I haven’t made it past a second date.” He bit his lip. 

It was painful to witness the look of sympathy on Tony’s face, and Loki felt his own burn with embarrassment. 

To Tony’s credit, he didn’t seem to be anything but sympathetic. “Maybe it’s just coincidence,” Tony said. “How do you know that’s all from the tea anyway?” 

Loki just knew. He bit his lip harder, staring at a bright blue cocktail the waiter was carrying to another table.

“Maybe your brother had been with that guy for a while and they just announced it by coincidence after you served that tea,” Tony said. “If he was hanging out at your house after school all the time, maybe it’d been going on longer than you thought.” 

Loki had never considered that. He’d always been convinced, and his tea spells almost always worked. “And sometimes people are on again and off again. That’s not your fault.” Tony smiled, but it wasn’t from amusement. “If you ask me, you’re giving yourself too much credit. You’re not responsible for your brother’s love life, tea or not.” 

Loki combed his hair back behind his ear. 

“I’ll tell you what,” Tony said. “Why don’t we do a test? You’ve never made it past the second date, right?” Loki reluctantly nodded. “Alright. So if I ask you out on a third date, the curse is broken, right? Or there’s no curse. Because if it’s a curse, the third one can’t happen. Spaghetti will rain from the sky and stop it or something.”

Loki’s heart was beating so fast it was making him dizzy. It was painful to hope. And yet, he thought he’d never have this chance again. “Okay.” Loki held his breath. As much as he wanted to hope, the problem was that Loki had read Tony’s tea leaves too. 

They’d suggested a fling at best, instability, a love life lacking direction. They’d not even suggested that Tony was into him. 

“So it’s a deal,” Tony grinned. “And if you ask me, date number one has been pretty interesting so far. I’m looking forward to the second.” 

Loki found himself asking without thinking. “And when would that be?” 

“When would you like it to be?” 

“Tomorrow?” 

Tony laughed. “Sure. Why not. We’ve got a curse to beat.” 

Loki found himself smiling back, lighter in his chest than he had in a long time. 

 

.・。.・゜✫ ☕ ✫・゜・。.

That first date flew by so fast that Loki was disoriented when he returned to the shop, suddenly faced with the rest of a mundane workday after the excitement of lunch. 

They’d mostly talked about getting to know each other basics for the rest of the date. Loki had learned that Tony was a fan of classic rock, that he’d come out of a long term relationship with a girlfriend a few years ago and hadn’t had much luck with serious dating since then, that he knew Banner from attending science conferences together and he loved a good marocchino but hadn’t found one as good as his mother could make since she’d died.

Loki told Tony about his brother and his father, briefly mentioned that his mother had passed away in an accident that he was still coming to terms with, that his family had moved to the US when he was twelve, that he liked classical music and bands that Tony had never heard of (at which point he found out that Tony thought he was a hipster and teased him for it, which Loki turned his nose up at and firmly insisted he was not), that the first thing he’d done when he’d bought the building for his shop was have skylights put in for his plants and that he dreamed of owning a greenhouse someday. 

Loki sighed. Tony’d been charming and funny and startlingly kind. Loki was _besotted_. It was going to hurt like hell when it ended. 

 

.・。.・゜✫ ☕ ✫・゜・。.

Tony had promised date number two for the next day, even though he was hard pressed to meet a deadline and had told Loki that two hours for dinner was the best he could do today, so date number three would have to be a lot longer to make up for it. 

Loki had smiled and agreed, although Tony could tell that Loki was resigned to date number three not happening. 

It was like the guy was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders about that tea from when he’d been a kid. Tony wanted to help him get out from under it, if he could. Loki had been pretty cagey when talking about his mom dying, and Tony’d gotten the sense that Loki felt guilt over that too.

It seemed like the guy blamed everything on himself as the default. 

He was charming, though. His eyes lit up with intelligence and mischief in a way that made Tony’s blood warm. He was quick too, able to banter back with a speed that was both dizzying and exhilarating. 

Tony’s crush had only gotten a hell of a lot worse, especially now that he knew Loki was into him. 

Tony pushed his sunglasses back on his head as he knocked on the door of Loki’s shop, squinting inside. The lights were off, but Loki had said to meet him here. 

“Tony!” 

He turned to see Loki running up from an alleyway, slightly breathless as he caught up with Tony. “I had to finish locking up,” Loki explained, but Tony wasn’t listening. 

Loki was _gorgeous_. Tony was saying it to himself all the time, but it was true. 

Loki’s hair was slicked back into a bun, and he was wearing black dress pants and a black shirt with a black vest that made Tony’s jeans and t-shirt feel woefully out of place. 

“You know the restaurant we’re going to isn’t fancy?” Tony questioned. He’d change that if Loki wanted to.

“I know,” Loki said. “I just wanted to look good.” 

“You do,” Tony said, flustered. “You do. I just, I wasn’t saying I wasn’t into your whole hipster thing the other day, I am, I completely am—”

“—I know,” Loki reassured him. He grabbed one hand with the other, starting to wring them before stopping, smiling at Tony all the while. “And truth be told Tony, if you wore that crop top again I would not be opposed.” 

Tony laughed, charmed. Something about that being said in that heavy English accent was sinfully charming. “Noted.” 

 

Loki was utterly wonderful through the first half of their dinner date, but it was hard to miss the melancholy he was attempting to glaze over. When it was time for dessert, Tony traced his finger along the rim of his coffee, thinking. 

He glanced up at Loki to find the man sipping his own coffee. “I have to admit, I was sort of surprised that you ordered that.” 

Loki smirked at him. “Just because I don’t treat it as some life force enabling me to cling to the last strand of consciousness before I collapse in exhaustion doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy it.” 

“That’s a lot of trash talk coming from a guy that talks about tea like it’s a one way ticket to Hogwarts.” 

Loki took a bite of his chocolate cake, eyes flashing with daring as he drew the fork from his mouth deliberately slow. “I told you about my spell that didn’t work. I didn’t tell you about the ones that have,” he said coyly. 

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, his tiramisu untouched. “Okay. I’ll bite. What would those be?” 

Loki began counting off on his fingers. “One to find the shop, another to get the seller’s price to go down, another to bring sales up, dozens to heal plants and restore them…” Loki tapped on his pinky finger, a proud smirk on his lips. 

“You know those things could’ve all be coincidental,” Tony said. 

Loki shrugged. “They could have been.” He grabbed his coffee. “But isn’t this way more fun?” He sipped. Then he raised an eyebrow at Tony. “And you don’t really know, do you?” 

He was flirting with Tony, which at this point was like shooting fish in a barrel. “Yeah, you put a spell on me alright.” 

Loki set his coffee down. “I assure you that I didn’t.” It was too serious to be playful. They were back to the whole curse thing again.

Tony scratched his goatee. “Tell you what. Let’s tell each other all of our deepest, darkest secrets, so that when date number three still happens, we’ll know it’s because we still want to see each other anyway and there’s no curse. If I’m right, you stop taking the credit for that love spell. If I’m wrong, you can say I told you so.” 

“What if I’m a serial killer?” 

“Then I’m going to be _really_ careful on date number three,” Tony said. He tugged at his collar. “And uh, then there won’t be a four, just three because I still want to prove you wrong.” 

Loki grinned. “I’m not a serial killer.” “See, now I don’t know if you’re just saying it because you want a fourth date.” 

Loki seemed pleased with himself then, taking another bite of his chocolate cake. 

“You’re not seriously going to make me go first, are you?” Tony asked. 

“I feel as though I’ve told you my biggest secret already,” Loki said. 

Tony tilted his head to the side. “About the tea?” Loki nodded. “Well this is awkward.” 

Loki’s eyes flicked to him, slightly alarmed. “ _You’re_ a serial killer?” 

“No,” Tony breathed out a laugh. “I already told you about Pepper, which I know talking about your exes on a date is a no-no or whatever, but here we are.” 

“She was an important part of your life,” Loki said, enviably nonchalant about the woman that Tony had almost married. 

“Yeah.” Tony reached for his fork. “I don’t think I have any huge bombs to drop other than that.” The coffee liqueur in the tiramisu was incredible. “I snore.” 

Loki put a hand to his chest. “Appalling. Let’s call this whole thing off.” 

Tony grinned then and went for another bite of his tiramisu. 

The rest of the evening went well, and when Tony brought Loki back to the shop to drop him off, Loki grabbed his seatbelt but didn’t unclasp it. He held it, biting his lip slightly. 

Tony wasn’t sure what he was about to say when Loki finally unclasped it. Then he surprised Tony by leaning in, pressing a kiss filled with longing to Tony’s lips. Before Tony could give in the way he wanted, Loki pulled away. “I know you can’t stay tonight, but date number three…” 

“On Saturday,” Tony suggested immediately. “I’ll be done by then, and—”

“—Sunday,” Loki countered. “That way the shop’ll be closed.” 

Tony smiled in relief. “Okay. Sunday. We’ll work it out over text?” 

Loki nodded, his hand on the door of the car, but then he came forward and stole another kiss, Tony’s hand curling around his neck and brushing his thumb along his pulse as Loki moaned into his mouth. 

They were both breathless as they came apart, and it was obvious that Loki didn’t want to leave as he opened the car door. “Sunday,” he said, a question lurking in the word.

“Sunday,” Tony reassured him. 

Tony stayed and watched as Loki got into his own car, sorry to see him leave in the other direction. 

 

.・。.・゜✫ ☕ ✫・゜・。.

Loki was an anxious bundle of nerves by the time that Sunday rolled around.

The last two dates had only made him fall harder for Tony, and he was having trouble believing that Tony would make it to the third one. 

They’d agreed to meet up at the movie theater, and Loki had been so determined to make it there that he’d wound up thirty minutes early. He pulled at the chain around his neck, twisting the black hematite ring. 

Today he’d wore ripped skinny jeans with chukka boots. His white tank top was loose fitted with a design for one of the Icelandic indie bands Loki told Tony he’d never heard of. He hadn’t bothered to button up the green plaid shirt he was wearing, and he kept pulling the long sleeves down over his fingers in an attempt to stop himself from biting his newly painted nails. 

His hair was down and his glasses were on, and he kept pushing them back up his face. He thought that Tony had liked them, but he wasn’t certain. He had his beanie on again, and more jewelry than usual out of nervousness. 

Some of his rings were inscribed with runes for luck and protection, others were sentimental. He had a pendant necklace of a star that he couldn’t stop twisting when he wasn’t toying with the bird skull earring dangling down by his shoulder. 

Loki checked his nails for chips after biting his thumbnail in spite of himself. He was watching the light shift on the gloss of the black paint when his heart flew out of his chest at the sound of knocking on the window. 

His eyes went wide as he spotted Tony outside. He fumbled to get the door open. 

“Hey!” Tony exclaimed, his breath a cloud in the cold air. “You’re as early as I am!” 

Loki started to smile, trying to process the fact that Tony was standing in front of him. 

“I guess that means the curse is broken, yeah?” He stepped back from the door. “Why don’t you get out of there so we can go inside where it’s warm?” 

In response, Loki simply got out of the car, shaking a little out of pure relief. 

Tony was magical. And incredibly good looking today, with his hair flipped up and sunglasses, a band shirt beneath his jacket and jeans that hugged his ass. Tony’s sneakers looked a little hipster too, although Loki didn’t mention it to him. He just smiled to himself, elated to be here. 

Loki reached for Tony’s hand as they walked across the parking lot, pleasantly surprised when that hand not only held his, but squeezed back. 

 

The movie was hilarious, and Tony kept nudging the popcorn bucket towards Loki and smiling at him when their gaze would meet. They held hands too, and Loki felt embarrassingly pleased about it. It’d been ages since he’d done so with anyone. 

Afterwards they went out for an early dinner, and Loki felt lighter and lighter, like a curse really was lifting off of him. When dinner came to an end, Loki suggested they go somewhere else for dessert. When they were finishing up their ice cream, Loki got the sense that the evening was dwindling down and turned to Tony with the anxiety he hadn’t shown since he’d been sitting in his car. 

 

Tony froze when he saw the line of worry on Loki’s forehead. Loki had been so confident and playful the whole date, and yet suddenly it seemed like Loki was going to dump him. “Tony? Would you—” Loki licked his lips, then forced the words out quickly. “Like to come back to my place after this?” 

Tony forgot his worry entirely, grinning like an idiot. “Loki, I would love that.” 

Loki nodded, and it was almost painful to see how utterly happy he looked, as if it was more joy than he could bear. 

 

Loki had to fight with the lock to his apartment, shoving the key in and out a couple of times before the door gave way. 

It wasn’t at all what Tony was expecting. 

While Loki’s shop was bright and airy, his apartment was night and day. The walls were painted a deep bluish purple or maybe it was black. All of the bookshelves were black, stuffed and messy with books and papers and knick knacks.

The floor, however, was covered in rugs with intricate patterns and noticeable dark reds and greens, some of them layered on top of others. The coffee table had several abandoned tea cups on it and the two plush green velvet couches were littered with throw blankets and pillows. 

“I apologize that it is a mess,” Loki fussed, shoving aside the umbrella stand that was blocking Tony’s path in. “To be entirely honest, I did not hope to get this far.” 

“Well, I hope you won’t worry about that again,” Tony said, distracted by a kinetic motion sculpture on one of Loki’s bookshelves. 

“Have a seat,” Loki said, clearing a spot for Tony on the couch and swiftly stacking the used tea cups together to carry off. “I’ll make us some tea.” 

Tony poked the kinetic motion sculpture a few times before sitting down on the couch. He sank into the plush cushion. Then Tony just sort of gawked at Loki’s apartment for a while. There was layer upon layer of things to look at. There were mini figurines and crystals on most of the shelves. Even some of the books had rocks and crystals scattered along the tops. After a bit, Tony felt something poking against his side.

Tony discovered a large card wedged between the cushions. He wasn’t familiar with it. Two figures embraced with “the lovers” written in calligraphy beneath it. Tony was still studying the card when Loki walked in. 

“What’s this?” Tony asked, holding it up. 

Loki’s gaze flickered to the card in his hand. He set the tea down on the coffee table, clearing some books and pens away from it. “It’s a tarot card. I like to read fortunes with them.” 

“Oh. Cool,” Tony said, reaching for his tea.

“I can also read them with tea,” Loki offered. 

 

Tony stared at the tea Loki had given him like it might’ve had something written in it. “How?” Tony asked. 

“I’ll show you,” Loki offered. 

He was curious if Tony’s would say something different this time. He’d been wrong last time, and Loki was mildly concerned that he was losing his touch. “I can’t show you until you finish drinking your tea,” Loki explained, noticing that Tony had stopped. He drank it all in one go when Loki said that. “You didn’t have to do that,” Loki said, trying not to laugh. 

“I want to see.” 

“Very well.” 

Loki snapped open Tony’s tea infusing spoon, using his familiar method. Loki stared at the scattering of tea leaves. He blinked. 

“What?” 

“May I be completely honest with you?” 

Tony leaned back against the couch, wrapping his arm over the back. “Sure.” 

“I am not flirting with you when I say I can’t see a thing in this past lust.” It was true, but Tony laughed like he’d told a joke. 

“I’d say you’re a damn good reader then.” 

Loki felt the burn of a blush down his cheek and neck. “Would you like another cup of tea?” 

“Yes.” 

Loki added extra honey to Tony’s tea, more aware of the man’s sweet tooth than he seemed to be. Tony was studying the tarot card again when Loki returned with his tea.

Loki sat down beside Tony on the couch, reaching for his own tea again as Tony accepted the new one. “You know,” Tony said. “I think it’s kind of cool that you’re into this sort of stuff.” 

Loki’s gaze dropped to the card that was in Tony’s hand. “I think we balance each other.” He took the card from Tony, studying it. “I may need you to save me from any future curses.” 

“Nah,” Tony said. “You didn’t need saving.” 

Loki set the card down on the table. He turned towards Tony, tucking his legs up onto the couch beside himself. His heart started to pound as the thought struck him, and he gave himself credit for not spilling tea everywhere as he set his cup down. “All the same,” Loki said. “I may need to thank my rescuer.” 

He leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss to Tony’s lips until the man breathed out a laugh. “Cheesy, but I like it,” Tony breathed, spilling a bit of his tea as he set it down on the saucer. “Come here.” 

And just like that Loki found himself in Tony’s lap and then straddling Tony as the man sank down to lay on the couch, tangling his fingers in Loki’s hair as Loki tossed his glasses at the coffee table. “You need those?” Tony questioned. 

“I’m near sighted,” Loki answered, snatching Tony’s forgotten sunglasses. “I’ll be fine. Do you need these?” Loki twirled them on his finger. 

Tony shook his head, grinning as Loki bent down to kiss him again. 

Loki was more dominant than Tony expected, with a tongue that made Tony’s mind foggy as his hands wandered down a slender back. Loki’s flannel shirt was incredibly soft, and Tony tugged at it, wishing it was gone. Loki let him for a while before sitting up. 

“Why Tony,” Loki said. “Are you trying to undress me?” His knowing grin made Tony’s pants too tight. 

“And if I am?” 

Loki tugged at the tank top he was wearing, holding it taut so the design was easy to see. “What band is this?” 

“What?” Tony didn’t know a pop quiz was going to be included. 

Loki spoke slower, his accent fading away. “What band is this?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Exactly,” Loki beamed. “You’ve never heard of them.” 

Tony got the jab immediately. He grinned, eager for the challenge. “Alright. I’ll give you that. How about to make up for it, I’ll take off my shirt?” 

“How about I take it off for you?” Loki asked, grasping the hem. Fuck, Tony loved this guy. Loki peeled it off in one motion, splaying his hands across Tony’s chest a moment later. He ran his hand down Tony’s stomach and Tony found himself pulling in a breath, the intimate touch oddly more comfortable than it usually would be for him. Loki’s fingers pushed his happy trail in the wrong direction, the hairs bending at odd angles. 

“I’ve wanted to do that for ages,” Loki confessed. 

“Really?” 

“Yes,” Loki admitted with self-degrading humor. 

“Oh.” Tony couldn’t remember many people being into his stomach. His ass, sure. “So, um. Will you take off yours now?” 

Loki shrugged off his flannel shirt but left the other one on. “Cheater,” Tony complained. Loki was pleased with himself as he drew back down for a kiss. Tony didn’t have time to process the tattoos that crisscrossed Loki’s arms in a swirl of lines and patterns. 

The kiss was firm and self-assured and wonderfully adoring, so much that Tony lost himself in the sensation and only clung to the thin fabric and Loki’s shoulders, mentally pleading for more.

Loki loved the way Tony rocked against him, the needy moans that spilled from his lips between breathless gasps. Loki didn’t realize that Tony had a hand bunched in the back of his shirt until he was pulling away and it was coming off, a look of triumph on Tony’s face. 

“Who’s the cheater now?” Loki quipped. 

Then he caught the way Tony was staring at his tattoos. “You have a tattoo kink,” Loki said matter-of-factly. 

“Why don’t you show these off all the time?” Tony countered. “All those long sleeve shirts should be a crime.” 

“It’s been a cold spring,” Loki answered. 

“Turn around,” Tony said. 

Loki obligingly twisted around so that Tony could see his back, looking over his shoulder to enjoy Tony’s expression the entire time. “What’s that on your shoulder?” Tony asked. 

“Vegvisir.” Loki brushed his hair out of the way. “It’s to keep me from losing my way in bad storms.” 

“You know you can always borrow my GPS, right?” 

Loki grinned, playfully swatting Tony. 

He’d gotten it in a more metaphorical sense. Maybe he’d tell Tony that, someday. Now wasn’t the time. 

“Does your GPS know where my bedroom is?” 

Tony was not going to make fun of Loki’s cheesy come on again, even if he wanted to. He knew he was just as guilty of them. “Are you trying to get me into your bed?” Tony countered. 

“If you’d like,” Loki said. 

The smile on Tony’s lips was downright sinful. 

They stood, Loki leading the way through the cozy apartment, and Tony was in such a good mood that he reached for Loki’s beanie, nabbing it. 

Loki spun around, pressing Tony to the wall in a heartbeat. “Did you steal this?” Loki asked, snatching it out of Tony’s hand, humor in his eyes. 

Loki was towering over him, and Tony hadn’t thought much about the height difference until now, but pinned against the wall like this—yeah, he liked that. A lot.

“What if I did?” Tony asked, stealing it right back. 

Loki kissed him then, forceful but still holding back in a polite enough way that reminded Tony that they were still finding their footing together. He wanted more. Needed more. “Oh my god, just fuck me right here,” Tony muttered in one breath. 

Loki breathed out a little huff of a laugh. “Serious?” 

Tony glanced up at him. There was a softness in Loki’s expression that he hadn’t been expecting. Tony grabbed Loki’s hips. “On second thought, just get down here you long-legged bastard.” He reached for Loki’s shoulder, trying to draw them back down together because he needed Loki’s tongue in his mouth, now. 

Loki hadn’t expected such a rush at pushing Tony up against the wall. The beanie was forgotten on the ground, Loki’s eyes dancing as his mind raced with possibilities. Tony’s expression was defiant but also so blatantly lustful that Loki found himself pulling open his own jeans without a thought. 

Tony dropped his own pants in a split second, kicking them off so that he was naked except for the watch on his wrist and his socks. He grabbed Loki’s shoulders and Loki found himself hoisting Tony up against the wall, enjoying the exclamation of surprise from Tony. 

Tony’s arms clung around him as Loki pushed Tony up and maneuvered him so that their hips could grind together, Tony’s moan ringing in his ear. “You’re stronger than you look,” Tony gasped. The wall was pressing uncomfortably against his back and not a single muscle or bone in his body wanted to cooperate with the position, but Tony didn’t give a shit. He could regret it tomorrow. 

Loki grazed Tony’s neck with his teeth, sucking at the juncture in his shoulder. “I’m not promising to keep you here forever,” Loki said, desperate for friction as his jeans slid down his legs a little more each time he met Tony’s desperate thrusts. 

If Tony could’ve reached between them and not felt like he’d fall, he would’ve. As it was, he was thrilled to be manhandled like this. It made him feel younger, wilder. Untamable. “Don’t be a quitter,” Tony said. 

Loki laughed, shoving Tony harder against the wall so that he groaned and bent forward, hugging closer to Loki’s shoulders. “Don’t tell me what to do.” 

“Well I told you to fuck me and look where we still are—” Loki dropped him, disappointing Tony as he caught himself between Loki and the wall. Loki’s hands set on his shoulders, a tenderness in his expression even as he kicked off the jeans and underwear that’d become trapped around his ankles. 

Loki didn’t want to overstep a line with Tony. He didn’t know where the lines were for Tony, not with this.

Tony pressed himself up on his tip toes then, drawing Loki down for a kiss that was surprisingly gentle, as if he sensed Loki’s uncertainty. One hand wandered along Loki’s chest and down his arm until it found Loki’s hand to hold. 

There was a soft pop at their lips when Tony pulled away, leaning to whisper beside Loki’s ear instead. “I want you to make me come cornered against this wall and then I want to suck you off here before you drag me into your bed and we fuck each other until the neighbors complain.” 

There was something about having the demand whispered against his ear that threw Loki’s brain offline for a moment until Tony’s hand guided Loki’s between them. Then Loki latched on to the rush from earlier as he felt the weight of Tony’s cock in his hand. “You’re awfully bossy for someone so short,” Loki said, punctuating the last word, delighted at how indignant it made Tony. 

Tony was bucking into his hand a moment later as Loki teased him. Loki set his forehead against the top of Tony’s head, domineering again. “Would you come like this if I let you? Rutting into my hand while I did nothing but watch?” Tony huffed, his gaze cloudy. “I bet you would,” Loki said, he grip suddenly tightening so that Tony was forced to stop with an opened mouth moan before Loki began stroking him. 

Tony let his head fall back against the wall. He wanted Loki to force it out of him, but he was also content to let Loki do everything. Tony shifted slightly away, delighted when Loki pulled him back with a hand on his hip and a muttered “No you don’t”. Loki’s other hand became bolder, and the realization that Loki was finally touching him in places for the first time was what finally sent Tony over the edge. 

Tony had barely caught his breath before he was pushing Loki against the wall instead, dropping to his knees and grabbing Loki’s hands to place them in his hair, desperate to feel his fingernails raking through. When Loki let out a shout and started to buck back towards his mouth, Tony only got more eager. Loki didn’t last long, and he came with Tony’s hands on his hips and pulling him closer, fingers tangled in his hair. 

Tony wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he stood, glancing towards the two doors at the end of the hall. “Are you going to tell me which one’s your bedroom, or do we have to ask your tattoo?” 

Loki grabbed Tony’s hand. “I should make you ask your GPS,” he said, walking too fast for Tony to keep up with so that he was stumbling as Loki led him into the room and then shoved him into the mattress. 

Tony rolled over, propping his head up on one hand. “I like you,” he declared. 

“I should hope so,” Loki answered, side stepping his snake plant to open a dresser drawer. 

“Come here,” Tony demanded, impatient as Loki tossed a bottle of lube towards the bed. 

“Bossy,” Loki muttered. 

“Now.” 

“Wait,” Loki said with just as much demand, except this time Tony realized Loki was playing with his accent. 

In fact, now that he was thinking down that train of thought, Loki’s accent changed a lot. “Do you know that you change your accent?” 

Loki blushed. Busted. “Yes,” he answered, tossing a towel at Tony. It hit him square in the chest. 

“Which one’s your real one?” 

This time, Loki answered him with sass. “They’re all my _real one_.” 

Tony pouted and glared a little, but it didn’t make Loki change his mind. 

When he got back into the bed Tony’s arms came in around him, but this time it conveyed nothing but pure affection. “You know on our next date, I think we should go on a tour of coffee shops.” 

“Are you trying to convert me to coffee?” Loki asked, running his hand back and forth along Tony’s hip. It was new, and yet so natural at the same time. 

“Maybe,” Tony said. “But yes? To date four?” 

Loki smiled, turning away so that his hair tangled in the sheets as he tried to hide his pleased grin. “Yes. Date four.” 

“Curse broken,” Tony declared before going in for another kiss.

 

.・。.・゜✫ ☕ ✫・゜・。.

Date four became date five and six and seven. Loki stopped counting after twenty five and started calling Tony his boyfriend instead. 

Tony started helping at the shop sometimes, claiming it was so that he had more hours to appreciate Loki’s ass, but Loki knew it was more than that. He’d never met someone that cared as much as Tony. 

Tony stopped calling them dates and started watching the calendar instead, making the biggest one year anniversary celebration fuss for Loki that he could. They’d had their ups and downs, but in that year Tony had grown closer to Loki than he’d thought was possible with another person. 

Of course, when anyone asked them how they’d met, Tony would say it was a love potion. Loki would smirk and reply that it’d taken a while to work, but it’d gotten there in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> This work cannot be taken and posted onto other sites. It has been locked to ao3 users only due to such.


End file.
